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Category: New to Kelowna

An American in Kelowna – Studying the Stratospheric Structure of Strata Fees

An American in Kelowna – Studying the Stratospheric Structure of Strata Fees

Principal + Interest, Taxes + Insurance……..and Strata Fees. WTH?       As most of our family and friends know, Elaine and I recently dipped our soon-to-be-sand-covered toes into Kelowna’s real estate bounty. We became townhouse owners barely a three-minute walk from Rotary Beach Park and Okanagan Lake. Just in time for summer. Lower Mission, here we come.         As we were lining up our pre-approved financials, one line on the Coldwell Banker residential sales sheet jumped…

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An American in Kelowna – Reaching the Seven-Month Mark and Feeling Lucky

An American in Kelowna – Reaching the Seven-Month Mark and Feeling Lucky

I woke up exactly at 7 this morning realizing that it’s exactly 7 months today that I arrived in my exact location of 1470 Ethel Street.  Guess I’m feeling lucky. The number 7 is a heavy hitter in the gambling world – slot machines often offer three 7’s as the big payout. Then there’s James Bond as 007, the 7th-inning stretch, 7 seas, 7 continents, 7 dwarfs, 7 deadly sins, 7 brides for 7 brothers, 7 colors in a rainbow,…

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An American in Kelowna – Tourism Kelowna is the Little Engine that Could when Pitching its Vacation Destination

An American in Kelowna – Tourism Kelowna is the Little Engine that Could when Pitching its Vacation Destination

After living in Kelowna for more than six months, I thought I had a solid handle on what attracts tourists to this city and what brings them back for return engagements. The answers seemed as obvious as Donald Trump’s comb over. Okanagan Lake with its sandy beaches, waterfront boardwalk, and seasonal watersports. Knox Mountain and all the other elevated vistas with hiking and biking trails. Right at the top were the wealth of countryside wineries, 19 challenging golf courses, and…

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An American in Kelowna – UBC Okanagan Women’s Volleyball Team was Schön the way Saturday Night and Turned 19

An American in Kelowna – UBC Okanagan Women’s Volleyball Team was Schön the way Saturday Night and Turned 19

Here’s the athletic algorithm that programmed UBC Okanagan Women’s Volleyball Team (Heat) to a Saturday night straight-set victory over the Brandon (Manitoba) Bobcats – #13 helped #3 reach #19 for the first time in school history.     Nice work, ladies. A record-breaking year. Now the fun begins. Dig in. Time to ace your final exam.       Elaine and I had the pleasure to sit courtside at the UBC Okanagan gymnasium and capture every bump, set, and kill….

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An American in Kelowna – Bowled Over by Pinheads and the Pond at Silver Star Mountain Resort

An American in Kelowna – Bowled Over by Pinheads and the Pond at Silver Star Mountain Resort

Here’s a make-believe scenario I never thought possible or probable at any winter ski resort on any continent. A group of eight Australian college students are on an extended holiday at Silver Star Mountain Resort, British Columbia’s third-largest ski area. One morning these energetic Aussies are scurrying up and down the mountain with youthful abandon. They’re basking in the resort’s All-Inclusive package of choices: 128 runs, skiing four different mountain faces and 3,269 acres of skiable terrain, 21 acres of…

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An American in Kelowna – Marketing Myself to the Okanagan Young Professionals Collective

An American in Kelowna – Marketing Myself to the Okanagan Young Professionals Collective

Oy Vey – while waiting for an OWP from CIC, we scheduled a chat with the OYP Collective.  That roughly translates into:  “Woe is me, while biding my time in anticipation of receiving an Open Work Permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Elaine and I participated in an informational interview with the team leader of the Okanagan Young Professionals Collective (www.oypcollective.com).         That quarterback would be Donnie Ungaro, Culture Development Officer and entrepreneurial Sherpa of a flock…

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An American in Kelowna – Saturday Night Live Featuring the Kelowna Rockets and Everett Silvertips

An American in Kelowna – Saturday Night Live Featuring the Kelowna Rockets and Everett Silvertips

Am I the king of romance, or what?! It was Saturday night in Kelowna and I needed to show my girl a good time. Assuming the restaurants and movie theaters were at full strength, I needed to light the lamp and breakaway from the usual. No way could I be a goon and end up in the penalty box.       Holy hat-trick, a power play idea rocketed into my crease. Why don’t we head down to Prospera Place…

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An American in Kelowna – I’d rather have a Smart Wife than a Smart Phone

An American in Kelowna – I’d rather have a Smart Wife than a Smart Phone

Okay. Let’s cut to the chase. A lot of readers and followers have been asking “what Elaine does for a living?” as the only current wage earner in our Okanagan Valley household.     Excellent question. Thanks for being curious. The answer is so deep and clinical that I requested her job description in writing so I could better understand and describe her daily regimen of shaping young minds through academic excellence. We’re talking about my blushing bride. She’s fifty…

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An American in Kelowna – Getting to Know Right-Wing Mayor Colin Basran

An American in Kelowna – Getting to Know Right-Wing Mayor Colin Basran

Calling Colin Basran, Kelowna’s newly elected and youngest-ever Mayor, a right winger would not be an inaccurate statement.         Allow me to explain. On the second Friday of January, Elaine and I had a chance to sit down with Mayor Basran in his City Hall third-floor office. We were invited guests looking to network and get the skinny on Kelowna’s slender skipper. We barely broached the subjects of his political persuasions or party caucuses. Ho hum. I…

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An American in Kelowna – Family Matters at Big White Ski Resort

An American in Kelowna – Family Matters at Big White Ski Resort

Riddle me this: “Two Skis walk into a ski resort without any intention of snapping on skis or getting a lift up the ski slopes in order to ski down like ski bums……”         The two Skis would be Jim + Elaine. The ski resort would be Big White (www.bigwhite.com). The rest of the story would be us experiencing firsthand the family-friendly atmosphere and Gondola rides at Big White Ski Resort.       Many thanks to…

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